If Usher was pushed and pulled in the world of entertainment, made to spur gossip and sell magazines and keep the churn of celebrity moving, then he would reclaim the narrative about himself, or at least shape it into one with a created and defined beginning, middle and end. Was the entirety of the record an admission of guilt, or was it a moment to tell a greater story - on the pressures of modern love, on the ease of infidelity, on the new essence of celebrity culture? Here, Usher uses the album as a means of blurring the line between fantasy and reality. Surprisingly, it was still a relatively uncommon means of structure at the time, at least in the world of R&B. If his debut album was about the thrill of new romance and My Way focused on evolving sensuality, then 8701 was about the excitement of life as a young man and celebrity.īut Confessions, released in the spring of 2004, is a different type of record, one that uses storytelling as a narrative device. Released after a four-year break that saw the musician tour around the world, experiment with acting and become a bona fide celebrity, the album also gave us quick glimpses of a new Usher.

His maturity grew even further on 8701, his third album. On his sophomore breakthrough album, My Way, released when he was 18, the singer began to mature, with songs progressing from the handholding of his debut’s “Think of You” to the new bedroom antics of “Nice & Slow.” By the end of this 17-track triumph, even the most buttoned-up listener can’t help but understand the true message of the record: A mistake is only as grave as we make it.īursting onto the music scene at only 16 years old with his self-titled debut album, Usher was primed to win the swooning hearts of teen girls everywhere. With a lesser artist, this may be impossible for the listener, but Usher’s charms are unfailing. Here, Usher asks us to sympathize with the philanderer, the heartbreaker. Bridging musical genres and stylistic eras (through both subject matter and production style), Confessions is an album set apart, and a masterpiece of tone and sound.

Usher confessions album pt 2